FYS Steege: Tales That Make Us One: Fugee Nation Project

Folklore Research Starting Points by Nation

Below are starting points for researching folklore, organized by country. People groups are listed in order to help you search specific groups' folklore and mythology, where there might not be a cohesive, unified mythology for the country as a whole.

Afghanistan:

People groups:
Pashtun
Tajik
​Hazarah
Uzbek

Search also for Persian stories, as the Persian Empire included what is now Afghanistan.

Albania:Songs of the Frontier Warriors: a famous Albanian epic poetry cycle. They were translated into English by Robert Elsie.

People groups:
Albanians
Serbs

Burundi:People groups:
Hutu
Tutsi
Twa

Central African Republic:
Search for stories of Tere, an important trickster figure with supernatural abilities.

People groups:
​Baya
Banda
Mandjia
Sara
Mboum
M'Baka
YakomaFula

Democratic Republic of Congo

People groups:
Kongo
Luba
Mongo
Mangbetu/Azande
Pygmy

Ethiopia:

The Gambia:

People groups:
Mandinka
Fula
​Wolof
Jola
​Serahule

Ghana:

People groups:
Akan
Ashanti (prominent Akan subgroup)

Stories of the Akan are called anansesem or nyankomsem.

Search for tales about Kwaku Ananse or Anansi, who originated in Akan folklore, though his stories have spread to other areas and peoples.

Iraq:

Search also for Persian stories, as the Persian Empire included what is now Iraq.

Ivory Coast:

People groups:
Akan
Ashanti (prominent Akan subgroup)

Stories of the Akan are called anansesem or nyankomsem.

Search for tales about Kwaku Ananse or Anansi, who originated in Akan folklore, though his stories have spread to other areas and peoples.

Other Sites for Fugee Nation Resources

This podcast covers folklore from around the world. You can search the site for specific stories, or search according to geographic areas, like "African" or "Japanese." Sources used by the author are listed with the episodes.

Using Wikipedia

Wikipedia can be a great starting point for research when you're trying to familiarize yourself with terms, big ideas, and important people or events related to your topic. Always check the citations of facts you find in Wikipedia if you're using them in your research. You can also use citations on Wikipedia pages as a jumping-off point for your own research--you can read the materials yourself to gain more info. You can always request materials that look promising through interlibrary loan, and we'll try to borrow them from another library. They will be delivered to Marian, where you can pick them up from the library's circulation desk.